Secretary Pete Hegseth fumed about “ingrates” and “ingratitude” while his address to National Guard members in Washington, D.C., was drowned out by protesters on Thursday.
Leaving service members waiting in 90-plus-degree heat as he arrived late to the gathering at Meridian Hill Park, the defense secretary thanked his audience for their dedication before turning his attention to the demonstrators.
“This background noise this morning is perfect,” he said. “It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude, of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them.”
“That there’s nothing ideological about this group,” Hegseth went on. “There’s nothing political about this exercise. Law and order is something all Americans deserve.”
Footage from the scene appeared to show anger that was largely aimed at Hegseth and other administration officials at the event, where the secretary faced shouts of “shame, shame, shame” and other insults as he left.
Thursday’s event was in recognition of National Guard members deployed to Washington to help carry out President Donald Trump’s anti-crime operation in the capital.
The president launched the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force in March of 2025, declaring a crackdown on the “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor” he said was plaguing the district.
While he claimed lawlessness was rampant across the capital at the time, crime rates in the District of Columbia had actually hit their lowest point in decades.
Nevertheless, Trump and his administration have touted a historic drop in violent crime, though outside analysis has questioned the impact of the National Guard’s presence.